Chapter 1046: Desolation?

Throughout this journey, Chengqie did not stir up any more trouble; he followed the troop very quietly and honestly, mainly because the Company Commander and the others truly provided everything well aside from power, making it difficult for Chengqie to harbor any more anger.

By today, Chengqie had already seen the endless stretches of Huaxia's cultivated land, though at this moment, most of these fields had already revealed their soil, with not a single bit of vegetation to be seen. Huaxia had not yet planted any crops that would mature in autumn or late autumn; most matured together during the hottest time of summer.

To the people of the Suiren clan, such land was incomprehensible, and unease grew in Chengqie's heart. Could it be that they were expected to survive in a place like this? Without a single blade of grass or a single tree, that meant there were no Grass Seed and no wild beasts; where would food come from? He did not know that this was the cultivated land Huaxia had been telling them about along the way.

After spending so much time together, he had also come to understand this Company Commander named Heifu. Now that they were about to reach Huaxia, many people felt flustered in their hearts; this was their confusion regarding an unknowable future. Of course, there were also many who held the thought that living anywhere was still living, and their emotions did not fluctuate much.

"Heifu, Heifu! Is this Huaxia? Not a single blade of grass can be seen on the land here; how can people survive?"

Heifu laughed: "Chengqie? Who told you that the land here must grow grass? Let me tell you, the land here, at this time, should not grow a single blade of grass."

"Why?"

Heifu looked at Chengqie's complex expression and laughed happily: "Because this is cultivated land! I've been telling you all along the way that Huaxia's food is grown by people tilling the soil. This is cultivated land; at this time, all the food has certainly been harvested, and all the grass stalks have also been collected to feed the cattle and sheep, or used to build fires for cooking.

If you had come thirty or forty days earlier, this place would have been very neat, a vast expanse of green, or a vast expanse of gold, growing even more lushly than the weeds in this region. What grows inside is the food we eat.

In Huaxia, only when there is more land like this can people have more food to eat. Every year, we are reclaiming new cultivated land to increase the amount of farmland.

After you arrive in Huaxia, you will also have land like this, and then you will reclaim and till it. In one year's time, no one will go hungry anymore; in two years' time, you will be able to save up even more food.

The harder you work, the more food you will obtain, and you will become increasingly wealthy. Men who cannot hunt will not go hungry either; even women can take on the task of tilling, which is much easier than hunting."

Chengqie did not know if it was because of his own ignorance or surprise, but he did not speak for a long while. The troop kept moving forward, and when they saw a town in the distance, Heifu pointed toward the distance and said to Chengqie: "Look, that is one of our towns, named Yongfeng Town.

There seem to be three or four thousand people there now. Look at the smoke; that is them cooking their midday meal.

Take a close look at the houses; they are all uniform, large courtyards, exactly the same, sturdy and reliable. There is no need to fear any wild beasts, and you don't have to worry about rain getting inside. You don't have to worry about food either; the land here can solve every trouble."

At this time, most people had excellent eyesight, because those with poor eyesight had no chance to survive; they couldn't catch prey and would starve to death. Chengqie, and all the people of the Suiren clan, began to gaze at Yongfeng Town from afar, but what they saw were rows upon rows of courtyard walls, very neat and beautiful, with white walls and gray Tile.

Chengqie pointed at a protruding two-story building and said: "What is that very tall one there? Why is it different from the others?"

Heifu didn't need to look to know what Chengqie was pointing at. They knew these surrounding towns very well because many friends and relatives who didn't have a place to live in the city would choose to move to the surrounding towns. Among those who went early on, there were also their friends and family, so they had all visited during their holidays.

"That? That is the house of a Marquis's family. His family is wealthy, so he built a large courtyard there and even built a two-story building—that is, he built another floor on top of the first floor. In this way, more people can live there."

"Marquis?" Chengqie did not quite understand. He already understood Huaxia's Nobility system. His own status was higher than those Marquises; although he had not yet inherited his father's title, his current status was equivalent to a Duke, which had not yet appeared, or perhaps somewhere between a Duke and a Marquis. The Prince of Huaxia would eventually be a Duke; it was impossible for Chengqie to be higher than the Prince, or equal to the Prince.

"A Marquis, why would he live there? Didn't you say the town is small and the city is large? With such high status, he should live in the city, right?"

Heifu continued to explain: "No, they have a courtyard in Huaxia City, and they also have one, or even two, outside. Because the land in Huaxia City is precious and the area is small, but think about a Marquis—he surely has many women. When there are many women, there are many children, and then the children find women and have more children.

Soon, their family will have over a hundred people. Huaxia doesn't have such a large place for their whole family to live, and these people will continue to increase.

In order to live in peace, these Nobles will leave some people in the city—mostly the children who need to be well-educated and those who need to work in the city—and the rest will be sent to live in larger courtyards in the towns. The space is larger, and it is more comfortable to live in.

Some children might move out of their father's courtyard and buy another one. Living outside the city doesn't necessarily mean one has low status or is poor; on the contrary, those courtyards in the towns might have more space and be more comfortable to live in.

Look at that Marquis's courtyard; it is not even the largest one in Yongfeng Town.

Yongfeng Town has a big Landlord—we call them Landlord—who owns a tremendous amount of land, just for himself. But he has no official position in Huaxia, so he is only wealthy. He built an incredibly large courtyard in Yongfeng Town for himself and his family to live in. Oh my, I have been outside their house once; the courtyard wall is so long that you would get tired just walking around it. It is too big, too big.

Even our King's courtyard is not as big as his."

Chengqie's eyes lit up as he listened: "Then wouldn't the King want his courtyard and go live in it himself?"

Heifu was a bit speechless: "Why would the King do that? The King has his own courtyard, and that large courtyard was built by the Landlord himself; the King has no need to snatch it or demand it. Besides, the King's courtyard is only smaller than his, but that doesn't mean it is worse. The King's home is the best in all of Huaxia."

"But shouldn't the largest courtyard and the best things belong to the King?"

Heifu didn't know what to say to Chengqie anymore and could only sigh: "The King owns everything in Huaxia, but as long as the King has given it to you, or you have earned it yourself and it is registered under your name, the King cannot take it away. If the King could take away anything he wanted, then who would be willing to work? After all, whatever they produced wouldn't be their own anyway."